Can You Trust Your Eyes?
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 44° 25.102 W 121° 46.376
10T E 597685 N 4919073
Quick Description: This is one of many signs at the Mt. Washington Viewpoint on Hwy. 20.
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/17/2008 5:08:22 PM
Waymark Code: WM4ZD0
Views: 19
Long Description:
This geological history sign is located on U.S. Hwy. 20 at the
Mt. Washington Viewpoint.
Marker Name: Can You Trust Your Eyes?
Marker Text: In front of you stands sharp-peaked Mt.
Washington. To your far left sits dark, cone-shaped Black Butte.
Why do they look so different and which one is older?
To answer why, we must go back 25,000 years. A massive blanket of
ice smothers Mt. Washington. Rivers of ice cascade down its flanks.
It is these glaciers that grind down mountains and carve out
valleys. To the east, out of reach of glaciers, Black Butte remains
a dark sentinel.
Your eyes may tell you that Black Butte is younger, but it is 1.4
million years old, nearly five times the age of Mt.
Washington.
Why Black Butte Has No Glaciers
Black Butte rises up, to your left, east of the Cascade Range.
After storms cover Mt. Washington with snow and travel east, little
snow is left to fall on Black Butte. No snow means no glaciers. No
glaciers means smooth, symmetrical mountain sides.
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